Apparatus for extracting rubber.



P. SAHLFELD.

APPARATUS FOR EXTRAGTING RUBBER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1911,

1,048892, Patented Dec.31, 1912.

3 SHEETSSHBBT l.

8 INVEN'TQR;

r P 22 mm By M u g M 6 l 4', L

F. SAHLFELD.

APPARATUS FOR. EXTRAOTING RUBBER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1911.

1,048,892. Patented Dec. 31, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2. 7&3.

WITNESSES; INVE'NTQRZ F. SAHLFELD. APPARATUS FOR EXTRAGTING RUBBER.

APPLIQATION FILED MAY 23, 1911. 1,048,892. Patented Dec. 31, 1912. 3SHEETSSKBBT 3.

Fig. 5.

INVENTOK/ WITNESSES: fi/iglpgdl M BY 9 i, 2%? 6% LM@ UNITE STATES PATENTOFFICE.

FRIEDRICH' SAHLFELD, OF HANOVER, GERMANY.

APPARATUS FOR EXTRACTING RUBBER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRIEDRICH SAHLFELD,

a citizen of the Empire of Germany, re-

siding at Hanover, in the Empire of Germany, have invented a new anduseful Method of and Apparatus for Extracting Rubber, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The crude india rubber was hitherto frequeuty cut into small bits, thentreated with solvents, next preliminarily washed, afterward rolled intoplates, and at last washed out, before the' material was passed throughan extracting apparatus. The rolling is however, objectionable for thereason, that the material is thereby impaired, so that the danger ofitsdecomposition is increased. -Moreover the rolling and washingoutrequired a very great driving power and a good deal of labor andtrouble. I

My invention relates to improvements in this manufacture, whereby therolling and washing out of the'material is saved, and consequently theextraction of the rubber or rubber-like substance is simplified,cheapened and facilitated.

According to my invention the crude rubber or similar raw materialistogether with any known solvent at once put into an extractingapparatus, that is a closed prismatic horizontal vessel, in which forexample three parallel horizontal shafts with juxtaposed rknives aremounted to turn, the knives being arranged to work together similar toscissors for cutting up the material. In order to reduce the drivingpower as much as possible, the knives on the shafts are so-disposed,that they can only periodically and in groups cut the material. In orderto assist the solvent. in its action upon the material for removing theresinous matters, the closed vessel is preferably steamjacketed, so thatthe material can be heated up to a temperature, which does not yetproduce any decomposition of the rubber. Special valves are disposed atthe butlom v and preferably also at the end sides of the vessel and areso constructed, that tubular pistons'can be pushed in, so that theirinner ends project into the vessel ,andaiisclose erforations forpermitting the liquid to. fiow ofi'. Sieves are disposed nearthe-bearings of .the three shafts 'for'lreepin the particles of materialoff from {the bearings. On the top of the closed vessel'a devicemay bedis--.

posed for receiving any quantity of crude Specification of LettersPatent.

rubber 'or other raw material and discharging it into the vessel. Any ofthe known solvents can be introduced together with water into the closedvessel through valves.

As after the extraction of the rubber or rubber-like substance theimpurities and the mechanical associates are removed with the solvent,no further washing of the extracted rubber or rubber-like substance isrequired.

I will now roceed to describe my invention with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinalsection.

through an extracting apparatus, Fig. 2 is a vertical cross sectionthrough the same on the line AB in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a vertical PatentedDec. 31, 1912.. Application filed May 23, 1911. Serial No. 628,985.

longitudinal section on an enlarged scale through one of the liquiddischarging valves, Fig. 4 is similar to Fig. 2 and showsa modificationof the top or cover, it being provided with a special device forreceiv-- ing the material and dischar in it into the vessel, Fig. 5 issimilar to t e Teft part of Fig. 1 and shows a modification, a, protecting disk being disposed on theshaftin proximity of the sieve near theleft bearing, and Fig. 6 is similar to Fig. -2 and shows on the threeshafts the protecting disks in Fig. 5. v

Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

The extracting apparatus essentially consists of a prismatic trough a ofany-known construction, a cover I) ind three arallel horizontal shafts dd. The troug -0, is.

shown to be mounted on a frame a, which extends to the right in Fig. 1and carries a driving shaft y turning in suitable bearings z and 2 Fastand loose pulleys y g are disposed for supplying power to the shaft y,which is adapted to drive the mid dle shaft 03 by means of gear wheelsw, w and the two outer shafts d d by means of gear wheels 111 w. Thethree shafts d d are assumed to run all in the same direction, althoughthis is not absolutely necessary. The shafts d d may be-supported bybearings w on the right in Fig. l, bearings 11: on the left at the. leftend side of the trough a, a beam 'w in the middle and stufiingboxes w atthe right end of the-trough a. The two-armed knives c e juxtaposed oneach shaft 1 are shown to be divided into four groups, in each of whichthe knives have the same position on the shaft and the -es of any groupare set at right angles on the middle shaft d in such a manner,

that the knives on any shaft canperiodically work with the knives on anyneighbor ing shaft similar to scissors. It will be understood, that asnot all of the knives are to work at a time, the driving power re--quired for them is kept moderate. Prefer ably a sieve h is disposed nearthe left bearings w in Fig. 1, which passes through the trough a fromone side to the other one and serves for keeping the cut-up material offfrom the bearings w Preferably a protecting disk -v (see Fig. 5) isdisposed on each shaft (Z in proximity of the sieve and serves forpreventing the material if'rom being pressed against the sieves by theknives, whereby otherwise the sieves might be blocked up. Preferably thethree protectiiig disks 1) 'v are made in halves (see Fig. 6), so thatthey can be easily taken off 7lipicleaning and again replaced withoutthe ecessity of removing the entire cover I). Where so preferred, ofcourse a sieve similar to h may be disposed near the stuffingboxcs winthe right end side of the vessel a in Fig. 1 and protecting diskssimilar to 'u '0 may be disposed on the three shafts e e in proximity ofthe sa d additional sieve.

The cover I) is preferably made detachable in any known marner and issuspended from chains 0 0 passing over pulleys c 0 so that the cover I)can be balanced by means of counter-weights a and can be easily moved upand down. provided with a tubular connection f of any known constructionfor the introduction of solvents and water. Also the cover I) is provided with a tubular connection 9 for the gases and vapors escaping fromthe apparatus.

The cover 6 requires to be takenofi for charging the trough a with cruderubber or other raw material after which the cover is replaced. Incases, where this operation is undesirable, the cover I) may beprovidedwith a manhole (not shown) of any known construction, through which thematerial can be charged into the trough.

The lower part of the trough a is provided with a steam-jacket z havinga steaminlet 2" and a steam-outlet 2' 3 I provide severalliquid-discharging valves of the construction shown in Fig. 3, forexample one at the bottom beneath the beam o and two at each end of thetrough a, as indicated by m m in Fig. 2. Each l quid-discharging valveconsists of a cylindrical casing k adapted to be fastened on The cover 6is from turning by a pin p engaging in its slot Z. The piston Zisprovided at its lower end with an opening 122. and at its upper end withperforations m ctz'responding to those of the sieve h. The piston l isrigidly connected with a spindle 0' having a collar 0 and carrying ahand-wheel 0'. By means of the hand-wheel 0 the piston Z can be pushedinward, so that its upper end projects into the trough a, as is shown atFigs. 1 and 5, and uncovers its perforations m, while the opening mbelow registers with-the tubular connection n. By opening the stop valveis the liquid in the vessel can be permitted to-escapo to without If sopreferred, the tubular piston Z may be provided with suitable warningsin place of the perforations m and sieves may be disposed in theseopenings. Then the effect will be much the same as before.

Where so preferred, the above mentioned manhole may be replaced by adevice shown at Fig. 1'. In th s case the cover I) is provided with acylindrical casing 1' of any suitable length, in which a distributerconsisting of a shaft u with four radial wings t t fastened on it ismounted to turn, a suitable handle or crank (not shown) being fastenedon one outer end of the shaft ufor turning the distributcr by hand. Thecasing 1 is provided with a cover 8, which may be hinged to it as shownand secured by means of-screws with winged nuts or the like.

The extracting apparatus described operates as follows: If the apparatushas no distributor, the cover 7) is taken off and the trough a ischarged with a convenient quantity of crude rubber or other rawmaterial, after which the cover is replaced. If, however, the apparatushas a distributer, its cover 8 is opened and the material is repeatcdlycharged into the space above the upper wings t t and dischargedtherefrom by turn ing the distributor, until a sufiicient part of thevessel a is filled. Then the cover 8 is closed. andany of the knownsolv'entsjem ployed for this purpose is introduced-to.-

' gethcr with water through the tubuliir' conncction and the respectivestop valve (not shown) thereon is closed. Then the belt is shifted fromthe loose pulley y 'or 3 to the fast one for startingthe apparatus andsteam is turned on from any known source by means of suitable valves(not shown) through the inlet i to the steam-jacket z.

Care should be taken, that the material be heated only up to atemperature, which does not yet produce any decomposition of the rubber.The heat supplied by the steam will help the solvent to act upon thematerial and this the more intensively, the finer the particles are intowhich the material is cut by the knives e. The solvent will extract therubber or rubber-like substance and dissolve the resin. The gases'andvapors developed during the process are permitted to escape through thetubular connection 9. \Vhen the extraction is finished, the resultingliquid with the impurities is discharged from the trough by pushinginward the tubular pistons l of the liquid discharging valves and byopening the stop valves is, while the sieves h and the perforations m inthe pistons I retain all the particles of rubber or rubber-likesubstance. The rubber or rubber-like substance left in the vessel a hasbeen at the same time washed during the described operation and can betaken out of the vessel a for further treatment. In this manner therolling into plates and the subsequent: washing as hitherto employed issaved and the power for working the material is reduced.

The extracting apparatus can be varied in many respects withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a rubber extracting apparatus of the class described, incombination, a trough, bearings at the ends thereof, shafts rotatablymounted in said bearings, knives carried by said shafts, means to rotatesaid shafts, and sieves within said trough adjacent said bearings tokeep them free from particles of the material being operated upon.

2. In a rubber extracting apparatus of the class described, incombination, a trough, bearings at the ends thereof, shafts rotatablymounted in said bearings, knives carried by said shafts, means to rotatesaid shafts,

sieves within said trough adjacent said bearings to kccplhcin l'i'cefi'oin pzirticles of the material being operated upon, and protectivemeans inlerposcd between the sieves and the knives adjacent thereto toprevent the matcrial from being pressed against the sieves by saidknives.

.3. In an apparatus for extracting rubbcr or rubberdike substances, tlicconibination with a trough, of bearings in the cud -sides of saidtrough, sieves near said bearings on the inside of said trough adaptedto retain particles of inatcrial, shafts parallel to one another and tothe bottom ol said trough mounted to turn in said bearin s and passingthrough said sieves, knives uxtaposed on said shafts and adapted to worktogether similar to scissors, means for heating said trough, a cover onsaid trough, means for charging the raw driving said shafts, means forpermitting the gases and vapors developed to escape, and means fordischarging the liquid from said trough While retaining the particles ofrubber and the like.

4. In an a )paratus for extracting rubber or rubber-like substances, thecombination with a trough, of bearings in the end sides of said trough,sieves near said hearings on the inside of said trough adapted to retainthe particles of material, shafts parallel to one another and to thebottom of said trough mounted to turn in said bearings and passingthrough said sieves, protecting disks on said shafts in proximity ofsaid sieves, knives juxtaposed on said shafts between said protectingdisks and adapted to Work together similar to scissors, means forheating said trough, a cover on said trough, means for charging the rawmaterial into said trough, means for introducing a solvent into saidtrough, means for driving said shafts, means for permitting the gasesand vapors developed to escape, and means for discharging the liquidfrom said trough while retaining the particles of rubber and the like.

In an apparatus for extracting rubber or rubber-like substances, thecombination with a trough, of bearings in the end sides of said trough,sieves near said bearings on the inside of said trough adapted to retainthe particles of material, shafts parallel to one another and to thebottom of said trough mounted to turn in said bearings and passingthrough said sieves, protecting disks on said shafts in proximity ofsaid sieves, knives juxtaposed on said shafts between said protectingdisks and so disposed as to periodically and in groups work togethersimilar to scissors, means for heating said trough, a cover on saidtrough, means for charging the raw material into said trough, means forintroducing a solvent into said trough, means for driving said shafts,means for permitting the gases and vapors dcveloped to escape, and meansfor discharging the liquid from said trough while retaining theparticles of rubber and the like.

(l. in an apparatus for extracting rubber or rubber-like substances, thecombination with a trough provided with a steamjackct, of bearings inthe end sides of said trough, sieves near said bearings on the inside ofsaid trough adapted to retain the particles of material, shafts parallelto one another and to the bottom of said trough mounted to turn in saidbearings and passing through said sieves, knives juxtaposed on saidshafts and adapted to work together liiillili to scissors, means forpassing t-lt:illl through said steam-jacket, a cover on said trough,IIl(:|ii for charging the raw material into material into said trough,iuca is for iiili'o i said trough. iurau l'wr introducing a solventdui-iiig a solwnl into said ti'oiiglniiiczins for i into said trough,iuciiiis for driving said shafts, means for permitting the gases andvapors developed to escape and means for discharging the liquid fromsaid trough While retaining: the particles of rubber and the like.

7. 'In an apparatus for extracting ruobe" or rubberdil substances, thecombination with a trougl'i priwided with a steam-jacket, of hearings inthe end sides of said trough, si ves near said hearings on the inside ofsaio trough adapted to retain the particles of niateriah shafts parallelto one another and to the bottom of said trough mounted to turn in saidhearings and passing through said sieves, protecting disks on saidshafts in proximity of said sieves, knives juxtaposed on said shaftsbetween said protecting disks and adapted to work together shnihir Histissors, meflIiS for passing steam through said steamjacket a rover onsaid iw ngh. means for Charging the raw material in said trough, meansfor introdueiug a r m-lfi'tiht inn said trough. means for driving saidshafts. mean f r mrniitting the gases and vapors dev loped to escape,and means for d s harging it e liquid from said trough while retainingthe yrsrti -les of rubber and he like.

*3 ln an RPPEU'iUitfor extracting; rubber or 'tll7-i')(-:1'--lii*HbnizlllCfiS the combination with a trough provided with asteam-jacket, of hearings in the end sides f said trough, siev s nearsaid hearings on the inside of said trough adapted to retain theparticles of material. shafts parallel t one another and to the boti omof said trough mounted to turn in said bearings and passing through saidsieves. prote ting disks on said shafts in proximity of said sieves,knives juxtaposed on said shafts between said protecting disks and sodisposed as to periodically and in groups work together similar toscissors, means for passing steam through said steam-jacket, a cover onsaid trough, means for charging the raw material into said trough, meansto introducing a solvent intO said trough, means for driving saidshafts, means for permitting the and vapors developed to eseape, andmeans for discharging the liquid from said trough while retaining theparticles of rubber and the like.

9. In a rubber extracting apparatus of the class described, thecombination with a cylindrical casing adapted to be fastened with oneend on a trough and having a tubular connection on one side, of atubular )iston closed at both ends guided in said cylindrical casing andhaving perforations in its Walls near one end and an opening near theother end, means for preven "ng said tubular piston from turning, astutiingd'icx at the other end of said eylindrieal casing a spindleguided in said slimline-box and rigidly connected with one end of saidtubular piston, and stops limiting; the stroke of said tubular piston,so that in one extreme position the inner end of the piston proj ctsinto the trough and discloses its perforations and the opening at theother end of the piston registers with said. tubular connection, Whilein the other extreme position the inner end. of the piston approximatelyflushes with that of said casing.

FRI EDR [CH SAHLFE J1).

Witnesses:

WM. P. Jones,

dorm A! lnncrmn.

